DISCLAIMER:

I will not repeat this throughout the chapters but I mean it for all of them. I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth and any of the associated characters or Inuyasha. Don't sue me because all you would get is... *rummages in pocket* A student ID card, a highlighter, and... A quarter... Yeah. Also I would really like it if CLAMP gave Cleffy to me but... No.

-Walks in, waving like a princess- Hello, my friends! I have chapter two ready! It took a couple of rewrites but I think it is finally how I want it to be.

Also, I think I might have part of an actual /plot/ in mind! -dances around happily-

I should probably write down a plot line so this story, but oh well! It's stored safely in my noggin! -taps head-

Here you go! Enjoy!

The Master Mage woke to a sharp ray of orange sunlight cutting across the pillow. He groaned and turned over, pulling the duvet over his head and trying to go back to sleep. No use. Clef sighed and rolled rather ungracefully out of bed, shivering. The morning Cephiran air was chilly, yet refreshing.

He snapped and within a second, Clef had donned his robes. At least the heavy layers made up for some lost warmth. When the Mage glanced over at the pile of blankets where Umi was sleeping, she was gone and the blankets were folded nicely.

"Did you run away on us, Umi?" He muttered. "Wouldn't doubt it..." Just to be sure, he casted an aura scan for her clear blue aura. 'On the roof?' He thought when he got the results back. 'How the hell did she get up there?' Only highly ranked officials had rooftop access. The holders of the keys. 'Better go check.'

-.-.-.-.-

Umi was laying on her side, her blue gaze casting over the Cephrian land. 'So beautiful.' She thought, grateful for this new vantage point she found. Her ear twitched to the side as she heard the metal door leading from the stairway whine open.

"Umi what are you doing up here?" Came the Master Mage's calm voice.

"Just thinking. Enjoying the sunrise."

"I see you've changed back." He commented.

"Yep. Happens at dawn." Was her short explanation.

"Just /how/ did you get up here?"

"Went out the balcony. Then jumped on ledges, window sills, et cetera. I needed a calm place to sort my thoughts out." Umi responded, pulling herself to a sitting position, legs dangling over the edge. "Join me?"

"Why not? Breakfast will be in a while." He sat down next to her, but a bit farther from the edge. "A penny for your thoughts?"

"Just all of /this./" She said making a wild gesture indicating the situation she was in. "For a while, I was all alone. I had no allies, trusted no one. A wanderer, if you will. Fended for myself, hunted if that term doesn't gross you out."

"Not at all, really." The Mage replied, staring at the sun rising over the Cephiran terrain.

"That surprises me. No one ever accepts me; demon nor human. I'm shunned for being a /half-breed./" She spat out the word. "Not even my own litter mates accepted me. They were each full-demons and I was always kicked out of the way and malnourished." Her ears drooped as she recalled the memory. Clef made a sound to continue. "Then I heard a voice in my dreams. A rather deep voice, really. Almost godly. I was on the verge of death when it told me I had to be a fighter to survive. Now and always. It told me life wasn't going to be easy, but eventually, if I work hard enough, it will pay off. While the others were still being fed by mother, I started fending for myself at a very young age. I ate berries until I could rebuild my strength, then learned to hunt by watching the wildcats in my area. Eventually, I got fed up with all the snide remarks from my brothers and just left. I felt bad for leaving mother, but I haven't seen her since then. She gave me the necklace father gave to her to remember her by. This dragon necklace." Umi said, reaching up to her collarbone make old it between her index finger and thumb. "And then there was a forest fire at the woods that was our home... Every tree completely scorched. I found our old den and..." She couldn't continue for she was crying. "I'm sorry." Umi sobbed out, shivering from the memory.

Clef stood up, removing the outer layer of his cloak and draped it over he shoulders. "You don't have to tell me if it was that bad..." He murmured, sitting back down. He moved closer to her this time in reassurance.

The heavy fabric putting weight on her shoulders was comforting. She grabbed the edges of the cloak and pulled them closer to her. "No, it will be better if I get this out... I've never actually told anyone. I always lived solo. But anyway, when I got to our den I found my mother's dead and scorched body along with my brothers'. And my human father I never actually met..."

"Umi... I didn't know you had it so rough." Clef whispered solemnly.

She tried to act tough but her sobs betrayed that. "It taught me to be stronger in the end."

Clef embraced her comfortingly. "It's alright. Everything's fine now..."

"But it was so /scary/! I was only a kit and I discovered my family's corpses... It haunts me to this day. I have survivor's guilt." She sobbed into his shoulder.

"Umi... /We/ can be your new family. In case you haven't noticed, Fuu and Hikaru have taken a liking to you. I don't think they care about your DNA. You know what? I can ensure you a position on the castle guard. You can be trained in swordsmanship by the greatest swordsman - who happens to be Lantis. If you want, I can even train you in magic."

Umi sniffed a bit, trying to hold tears back. "B-But why? You don't have to do all this for me..."

"I have realized that you're not a bad demon, simply misunderstood. And I will tell you one thing. You /are/ a fighter. Both physically and emotionally."

"Thanks Clef, but I feel as if you, Fuu, and Hikaru are the only ones who trust me. Even somewhat trust me." Umi said. "How can I be a part of a family, if not trusted?"

"Everyone will warm up to you, promise. Trust me."

"Actually, I've /never/ trusted anyone before." She said a bit sharply. Clef looked slightly hurt. "But... I think I finally do trust someone." Umi muttered, burying her face in his shoulder once again. She giggled a bit. "Sorry I dumped all this on you."

"You just needed to vent. It's all fine and well." He assured. "Do you want to get cleaned up before breakfast? A cool rag or something for your eyes?"

She sat up and nodded. "Please."

Clef stood up and offered a hand to help Umi to stand, then she got cleaned up and he escorted her back to her room which now doubled as the dining room.

-.-.-.-

"Umi where were you? When we got here this morning, you weren't here!" Hikaru nearly shouted.

Umi walked over to the love seat and patted Hikaru's head on the way. "Calm yourself, I was just outside getting some fresh air. It felt so stuffy in here."

"Miss Umi, wasn't it too cold out?" Fuu asked, taking the seat next to Umi.

Umi silently thanked Fuu for sitting next to her so she didn't have a repeat of yesterday's event. "You forget that I've lived outdoors all my life."

"You did? I thought you would at least have some shelter." Ferio commented, sitting on the couch. Clef sat next to his former student.

"I was always shooed away because I had no money." She told them as LaFarga and Lantis strolled in, chatting about some military strategy or something.

"Caldina will be here in a moment... She has to get her makeup ready." LaFarga announced. He seemed rather annoyed about the makeup. "She said to start without her."

"No, we can wait for her. It's only proper." King Ferio said, propping his feet up on the coffee table from his spot on the sectional.

"Speaking of proper, feet off the table mister!" Umi joked. She liked the fact that even though the people there were royalty and very important people, they were all relaxed. She was sure they could appear very regal if they needed to...

"I can do anything I want." Ferio said firmly.

"Whatever, I can sense Caldina's almost here." Clef said, shoving Ferio's feet off the table.

"And I can smell her perfume. Talk about overpowering." Umi muttered so that she was sure Caldina didn't hear.

"I'm here y'all! How's breakfast?" Caldina announced, slipping into the room.

"We waited for you." Umi commented.

"Awh you didn't hafta do that!"

"It was only proper. Can I have the same thing as yesterday?" She asked to no one in particular. She wasn't exactly sure who to ask.

"We had something similar prepared for you. It must be boring eating the same thing all the time." Ferio told her.

"Beats feild mice..." Umi muttered, glancing at Clef when she saw him give her a sympathetic look. She just shrugged, showing him it was no big deal.

Then, a flurry of maids came in, carrying a few large silver serving dishes above their heads and placing them on the large coffee table. Chopsticks were given to each diner along with napkins. They must have known what each person usually had, because each got a specialty drink. And Umi got a glass of milk... How steriotypical! Oh well, no sense in getting flustered over it. Plus... She actually rather enjoyed the stuff.

Umi's meal consisted of some lamb, tuna, and some various steamed vegetables on the side. And don't forget the glass of milk. After wolfing (or would it be catting?) down her meat and fish, Umi started lapping up the milk with her tongue. When she looked up she got many confused stares. And Clef was looking over the rim of the glass as he took a sip to hide his smile. But the method wasn't very affective because the smile was touching his eyes.

She offered a smile. "Sorry... Instincts. I never really applied manners."

"Don't worry, Ms. Umi. Just follow our examples and stick to it." Queen Fuu told her.

Clef looked up from his meal, fringe swaying as he did so. "Everyone, I have a proposition."

"And what is that, Mage Clef?" Ferio asked.

"I would like to get Umi a position on the castle guard..." He trailed off, blue eyes flicking about, waiting for some kind of reaction.

"But she's a demon! Is that even allowed?" Caldina asked suddenly.

"I don't see anything wrong with it. As I have observed and I'm sure many of you have also noticed, Umi has abilities that normal humans do not have. She could be useful."

"Is it me, Madoushi, or do you have a soft spot for this girl?" LaFarga asked rather harshly. He still wasn't used to the idea of a demon running freely about the castle.

"Did she /ever/ do anything with intention to hurt us? Umi did not even draw her sword on us when we were unjustly attacking her for being demon. She also expressed to us her self-promise to not harm innocent humans." Clef reasoned, a slight touch of pink on his cheeks. No one decided to point it out, Clef was in one of his ranting moods. He never really answered LaFarga's question, he just creatively dodged it.

"Can you guys stop talking about me as if I'm not here?" Umi interjected. They all paused to look at her.

"I say we let her on the guard." Hikaru proclaimed suddenly.

"I second the notion." Fuu said softly.

"You two also have soft spots for the demon!" LaFarga stated a bit fiercely.

"Not soft spots, we just trust her." Hikaru challenged, towering brilliantly for one so short. And sitting down. Fuu nodded her silent agreement.

"See, the two Magic Knights and the Master Mage agree. That must be enough." Clef said, eyes flashing towards the tall blonde Dal.

Ferio left it to them to work this out. He didn't want to use kingly power in this decision.

"So long as she passes the proper tests, I say we let her in." Lantis calmly stated, face completely emotionless and eyes tranquil. But somehow his eyes dared LaFarga to go against him.

The Dal sighed, slightly tilting his head down in submission. "I agree so long as I get to choose her tests."

"Fine by me." Umi said confidently.

"So it is decided. Umi will be tested for a guard position this evening. LaFarga, you get to prepare the tests and the people who will test her. If everyone is done with their meals, they are dismissed. Anyone may watch Umi's audition this evening." King Ferio concluded, standing up and leaving. On the way out he muttered to Umi, "Don't expect to get in easily. LaFarga seems to have something against you, but I'm not sure what."

"Thanks, Ferio. I will be fine." Umi replied.

"See ya at the testing!" Then, he whipped around, cape snapping and left.

Everyone had left, except Umi made sure Clef stay behind. "Thank you for doing this."

"It's nothing big. You are a good person. Er... Demon? Anyway, I think everyone trusts you except for LaFarga. And because of that, Caldina is wary. They will eventually see. Now, you can prepare for your testing. I have some studies to do in my library." Clef replied, robe swishing on the floor as he turned to leave. With that, he briskly walked out the door.

-.-.-.-

A group had gathered in the courtyard of some of the best soldiers and the audience. LaFarga also had some others hidden.

"First off, we will test your sword skill. Summon your armour." LaFarga announced. "I will have you spar some of my best swordsmen."

"I don't have armour, but that's how I roll." Umi said, drawing her sword and pointing it at the first in line.

The sturdily built man charged at her. If she was hit, she would be sent flying because of her light weight. At just the right time, she leaped and did a front flip over the top of him. Umi flicked the sword out of his hand on the way and had the blade of the sword up against the back of his neck in the blink of an eye. The other seven were just as handily defeated, none being actually harmed by the demon.

Umi was still in perfect condition, eyes bright and ears flicking happily. "What's next?"

"Lantis."

The said magic swordsman strode up, cape billowing behind him. He looked utterly confident. "You don't know any sort of magic, do you?"

"No, only my claws... Throw everything you have at me." Umi challenged. "Those previous tests were way too easy."

Lantis agreed with a nod. "Lightning call!"

A humongous, charged blast rocketed toward Umi. She jumped vertically and landed ten feet up on the observation deck's rail. Using it like a balance beam, she did a couple cartwheels to dodge the next attack, then leaped off. She did a couple twists in the air, before sticking the landing. "And dismount." The bluette said jokingly, before dodging Lantis as he charged at her. She sheathed her sword, to keep it out of the way.

Umi planned on letting her opponent's stamina run out. Little did she know that Lantis had one of the best magic staminas other than the Master Mage himself. Umi kept stepping out of the way of the swordsman's strikes, hands behind her back and an amused expression on her face. As one blow almost struck her head, she grabbed the blade with her claws and yanked it out of his hands. She tossed it into the air, flipping it so she could catch the handle. Umi held the side of his own blade to his neck. "Accept defeat."

"I accept." Lantis said, sighing. She handed the sword back and grinned at LaFarga.

"My next challenge?"

"I guess you passed considering Lantis is our best swordsman." LaFarga considered, looking dumbfounded. She looked around and everyone had the same expression.

"What's wrong, guys?"

"I've never seen someone fight with finesse... It was almost dancing." Master Clef noted.

"That was AMAZING!" Hikaru exclaimed, clapping. Umi rubbed the back of her head modestly.

"How were you able to keep footing on the rail? The metal is only about two inches wide, therefore relatively impossible to do what you did on." Fuu analyzed.

"Cat-like agility?"

"The next matter is getting you a uniform." LaFarga interrupted.

"I just need some flexible fabric and-" Something had caught her off guard because she fell silent. Umi felt a warm fluid dripping down her back and smelled her own blood. She whipped around and saw a demon with blades protruding from its arms and legs and forehead... Pretty much everywhere. It held up one arm and reloaded the spike cannon.

"Leave us be!" Clef shouted, getting between Umi and the monster. If she was injured, she couldn't fight... Could she?

"Request denied. Jewel of Four Souls requested." The /thing/ answered in a metallic, ringing voice. It then moved quicker than Clef could react and swung its elbow blade to catch the mage in the throat. But Umi was quicker. Before anyone could see her, /she/ was in between Clef and the demon, sword keeping its arm at bay. She hissed at the thing like a cat and then hit it across the head with the flat of her sword.

"Whatever you want from us, you're not getting it!" Umi lured the metal demon away by climbing up the castle wall. The thing followed, using its blades as climbing spikes.

"Umi, what the /hell/ are you doing?" Ferio shouted up at her. She ignored the question because, frankly, she was a bit busy.

From there, it was a test of speed. Once on the roof of the castle, she waited on the edge to ambush the thing. Then a metal chain grabbed her ankle, yanking her off the edge. She plummeted rapidly towards the earth, but at last second she twisted and landed on her feet, knees buckling. The bluette collapsed to her knees from lack of blood. She glanced about, looking for the metal thing and found it smashed on the ground. The twist to land on her feet had knocked it off balance, crashing it. Another thing caught her eye though... Licking bright orange flames and fireballs being strewn about. The thing had brought /backup/.

Hikaru was trying to fight fire with fire, and utterly failing. Lightning was no better, so Clef switched to one of the only water spells he knew. And that one spell was way too weak to take on this monster. When she got a good look at the thing, she realized it was made of lava and hot rocks. Fuu was attempting to blow out the fire with blasts of wind, but the oxygen only fueled it.

The two magic knights gave up and ran a bit away from the scene. "Master Clef, just save yourself. You are the only one who knows water spells! You have no chance against this thing." Just then, a trio of flaming boulders hit the girls and the said mage, knocking them to the ground. The monster towered over the mage as his face paled.

/Gather your strength, Umi. You are better than this simple back injury./ Umi told herself. She clambered up to her feet, blood now having completely stained the back of her shirt. With a running start, as the creature was about to seriously scald Clef, she knocked it down. Umi rolled on top of it, pinning it down, uncaring of the flames licking at her skin.

'Umi.' That voice... It was the deep one from the dream. 'Thou hast proven the strength and bravery of your heart.' Piercing gold eyes appeared in her mind. 'Use thy power to saved your beloved friends. The words shall come to you at times of need.' The image dissapeared and she shook her head clear, focused on the pinned creature. She stood up, not even noticing her clothes on fire.

"Water Dragon!" A wicked dragon of water clashed into the lava creature, hardening it into rock. Clouds of steam plumed from the site.

Once the three people had extinguished their clothes - which had caught fire at the very edges - and the steam cleared, they looked for the form of their cat demon friend.

Once Umi saw that her friends were okay, she collapsed to her knees in pain and exhaustion. She knew her injuries would heal quickly enough... Demons healed differently. Then she fell forwards and was faced down in the dirt, unable to move her arms to cushion the impact. Umi's hearing dulled and her vision darkened around the edges, near passing out. She felt a tingling sensation on her left hand... Odd but she didn't elaborate on that. Her friends were running towards her, Clef and Fuu already preparing their healing spells. Hikaru helped her to her feet and Umi was ashamed that she had to lean heavily on the girl.

Much pain was relieved as the two powerful healing spells washed over her. "Thanks guys."

Lantis walked up then. All of the spectators and soldiers had left the magic persons to deal with the issue. Lantis made sure to get non-magicians out safely. "I thought you couldn't use magic."

"The voice talked to me. It said something about strength of heart. Then the words came to me." Everyone but the Master Mage looked at her like she had three heads.

"I'll explain later. I will go get this sorted out with Umi. Here, wear this." The Mage explained, taking off his outer cloak and giving it to her.

"What's this for?" Umi asked, accepting the cloak and pulling it over her shoulders.

"Your clothes... Aren't in the best condition?"

Umi looked down then blushed bright red, pulling the cloak really tight around herself. There were only scraps of clothes left - luckily they were covering what was necessary. But ONLY what was strictly necessary. "Stupid fire." She muttered to cover her embarrassment. Everyone laughed at her discomfort.

Clef cleared his throat. "Let's get you some new clothes and then get something for those injuries. We weren't able to completely heal them."

"Kay. Let's just go..." Umi said, scurrying off.

"Funny how a little embarrassment crashes her huge ego." The Master Mage muttered, also taking off.

-.-.-.-

Footsteps were clacking down the hallway; one pair of boots and another pair of bare feet. Umi had ditched her boots since they were singed so much the rubber was deformed. "I won't need the other healing... Demons heal quicker."

"Okay but you need some... Ahem... Clothes."

"Of course. Please stop mentioning it." Umi hissed, making sure the cloak was tight around her.

"What, does it embarrass you?" The Mage poked further.

"Of course it does! Enough of this teasing me, you should be thanking me instead." She angrily said, crossing her arms under the robe. "For saving you."

"Oh... Thanks..." He said, forgetting completely that she had sacrificed her own health to save him.

"You're welcome." She said curtly. There was then an awkward silence hanging over the air.

"So what did the voice say?" The pale haired Mage asked to break the silence.

"It told me that I had a brave and true heart and that I needed to save my friends. So I guess a water spell came to me. I didn't know I had the ability to use magic. I saw golden eyes and once they disappeared, I was able to use the water dragon spell."

Clef nodded, a sneaking suspicion growing. "We are here. This is the castle guards' wardrobe. You can pick anything from here."

"Thanks." She said, before padding off to examine the threads.

There were some that were a more silky fabric that seemed not suited for fighting. More for a formal situation, she guessed. After sorting through many fabrics, coarse and thin, she found some navy pants that seemed free moving, yet form fitting. They resembled leggings, almost. She also discovered a baby blue tank top that seemed to work, allowing free movement of her shoulders. Umi donned the items quickly then threw away the charred 'clothes' that she previously wore.

-.-.-.-.-

"My Fuu, are you okay?" Ferio asked, carrying her to the medical center.

"Ferio, I can walk, you know..." She muttered, bothered by all the attention.

"I know but look at your burns! They should be healed immediately so that they won't scar." He explained.

Fuu ignored her lover. "I sure hope Umi is okay, she lost a lot of blood."

"Don't fret, my love." He said, placing a comforting kiss on her forehead. "She's made of tougher stuff than we probably know."

-.-.-.-.-

Umi picked up the robe and walked back to the waiting Mage around a couple of corners. "Ready."

She handed the Mage the robe with her left hand and Clef looked extremely shocked, snatching her hand and letting the robe drop to the floor. He examined the back of her hand. "What is this?" He asked, tapping something hard on the back of her hand.

She stated at it in wonder. It seemed to be a sapphire implanted in the back of her hand. It was a roundish triangular shape... It seemed familiar somehow. "Dunno."

"It's an ovum gem-" He was about to say more when Umi cut him off.

"If you knew what it was, why did you ask?" She snapped, snatching her hand back and putting it on her hip.

"This is /important/, Umi. Hikaru and Fuu also have these." He said, removing her hand from her hip and examining the gem. So /that's/ where she saw it... The seriousness in his voice slapped her in the face telling her to listen. "Umi... You are a magic knight."

So how did you like it? I left you on a cliffhanger! XD I LOVE those things! What will Umi's reaction be? Stay tuned!

Also, please support the YouTube videos I worked on. You can do so by simply watching and commenting. I would really appreciate it! Search 'Umi Ryuuzaki LaLa Land' and look for the one by Umi Ryuuzaki. (it should be pretty easy to find.) Also check out my other AMV's too!

Ja ne!

Water Dragon's Wing